Results 1-20 of 2,066 for in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates' speaker:Lord Willis of Knaresborough

Higher Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics: Science and Technology Committee Report — Motion to Take Note (21 March 2013)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply and, indeed, for the very comprehensive way in which she has dealt with many of the core issues. We look forward to having individual responses to some of the specific questions which were laid down. I also thank all noble Lords for their contributions this evening. It was a late debate, and I am very conscious that Members wish to get away to...

Higher Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics: Science and Technology Committee Report — Motion to Take Note (21 March 2013)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: My Lords, I begin by thanking the members of the Science and Technology Committee for their superb contributions to this report, and the clerk and policy analyst for their excellent support. In particular, I thank Professor Sir William Wakeham, our specialist adviser, for his wise and expert advice, and David Willetts, the Higher Education Minister, for giving his time to meet the chairman...

NHS: Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust — Question for Short Debate (11 March 2013)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Lord, Lord Patel, for introducing this debate and for the measured way in which he did so. It behoves us not to begin a blame game but rather to pick up the recommendations of this superb report and act upon them. It is far more profitable. A few of us who were sat in another place during the time that this was going on raised the sorts of concerns that are...

Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust Inquiry — Statement (6 February 2013)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: My Lords-

Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust Inquiry — Statement (6 February 2013)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: My Lords, Francis quite rightly recognises the contribution made by healthcare support workers. He makes seven recommendations about how they should be included within a reinvigorated National Health Service. The report makes the claim that healthcare support workers have to be properly trained to appropriate standards. I want to ask the Leader of the House two questions. First, will those...

Healthcare: Support Workers — Question (28 January 2013)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to train and register health care support workers.

Healthcare: Support Workers — Question (28 January 2013)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: I thank my noble friend for that very helpful reply. However, does she accept that at the moment there are literally tens of thousands of elderly, frail patients, often with comorbidities, being looked after in domiciliary or care homes by an army of well meaning healthcare support workers who receive virtually no training and who are unregistered, unregulated and often unsupervised? Will my...

Health: Medical Innovation — Question for Short Debate (16 January 2013)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: My Lords, I begin my remarks by echoing the comments of the noble Lord, Lord Winston. I have been a parliamentarian in both Houses for some 16 years now and I do not think I have ever heard a more moving, considerate or emotive speech than that of my noble friend Lord Saatchi. I thank him for it. In so doing, I have to say that some of the issues that he and the noble Lord, Lord Winston, have...

Care Services: Winterbourne View — Statement (10 December 2012)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: My Lords, I echo the comments around the House that this Statement is appropriate. The fact that it has support across the House demonstrates that there is unity in terms of tackling the issue. I spent a significant part of my professional life working with young people with severe behavioural issues. As the head of a school, I, together with my governors, would be held responsible for what...

Scrap Metal Dealers Bill: Second Reading (30 November 2012)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: May I say that I object very strongly to these appalling assertions about the people of Yorkshire?

Bovine Tuberculosis — Statement (23 October 2012)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: My Lords, the Minister has rightly referred to scientific evidence, as has the noble Lord, Lord Krebs. It is clear that the scientific evidence that the Minister and his colleagues are getting is different from that which a significant proportion of the scientific community is getting. What reassurance can he give us that an independent group of scientists will be brought together to examine...

Antarctica: Centenary of Scott Expedition — Motion to Take Note (18 October 2012)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: My Lords, I, too, congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, on securing this debate. Inevitably much of it will focus on NERC's proposals for the future of BAS, so I will confine my remarks accordingly. In so doing, I must declare an interest as a council member for NERC, so I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Worthington, for her warm comments. The proposals to bring together BAS and NOC is...

Apprenticeships: Ethnic Minorities — Question (18 June 2012)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: Will my noble friend please tell the House how many apprentices have been recruited to her own department and how many of them, as a percentage, come from ethnic-minority backgrounds?

Health and Social Care Bill: Third Reading (19 March 2012)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: I am grateful to my honourable friend-I am sorry, I mean my noble friend; I keep calling him honourable, but I am sure he is as well-for that response to the noble Lord, Lord Turnberg. The issue is really quite fundamental. If what my noble friend has described is a purely advisory board, the board will not therefore be able to take any executive decisions about the nature of the research...

Health and Social Care Bill — Report (3rd Day) (Continued) (27 February 2012)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: Before he sits down, will my noble friend tell the House whether he has made it clear in his remarks that the chief executive of the Commissioning Board will not have a direct relationship in terms of research, and will not have responsibility that will, in fact, be with the Chief Scientific Officer-the head of the NIMR? If that is the case, how on earth will the Commissioning Board have a...

Health and Social Care Bill — Report (3rd Day) (Continued) (27 February 2012)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: My Lords, I am eager to speak at this late hour. It seems that every time we talk about research it is always around 11 o'clock at night. The Minister and his minions must be planning something which we do not quite know about, but here we are. I support Amendments 66AA and 67AA standing in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Morgan of Drefelin. Will my noble friend the Minister clarify the...

Health and Social Care Bill: Report (2nd Day) (13 February 2012)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: My Lords, briefly, I support Amendment 13 in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Patel, and others, particularly on what is behind the amendment. I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Kakkar, that enormous progress has been made since our first debate in Committee where we neared the point of voting through an amendment that would have stymied any discussion on education and training, and I am very...

Health and Social Care Bill — Report (1st Day) (Continued) (8 February 2012)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: My Lords, it is a very pleasant duty to know that amendments proposed in Committee have been accepted by the Government in their totality. I thank the Minister for doing that. Amendment 11 removes from the Secretary of State the idea of "having regard to the need to", and gives a clear duty to promote research-and that is the case in Amendment 60, with commissioning boards, and in Amendment...

Health and Social Care Bill — Report (1st Day) (Continued) (8 February 2012)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: My Lords, briefly, I should like some clarification on this amendment, and I hope that the Minister will be able to provide just that in summing up. There seems to be a real difficulty here. The architecture of the Bill says that we should have a Commissioning Board and local commissioning groups, and that those local commissioning groups will have a great deal of autonomy over the services...

Health and Social Care Bill: Report (1st Day) (8 February 2012)

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: My Lords, I support government Amendments 61 and 104. As regards Amendment 2, which the noble Baroness has introduced, Clause 6 adequately describes the duties of the Secretary of State in relation to education and training. My noble friend the Minister has done an incredibly important job in recognising the real anxiety that existed at Second Reading about education and training. Indeed, we...